


Begin Again

by briewinchester



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Allusions to a past abusive relationship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Businessman Derek Hale, College Student Stiles, Future Fic, M/M, Past Stiles/Original Male Character, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 09:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3169991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briewinchester/pseuds/briewinchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years ago, Stiles' world fell apart. The man he loved left him and left Stiles a mess. Despite everything, fate intervened and he ran into the one man who might be able to bring Stiles back to life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Begin Again

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from Taylor Swift's song 'Begin Again' which this fic is written around. And I'm kinda nervous about posting this because I don't think it's any good.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated :)
> 
> Enjoy <3

_Took a deep breath in the mirror_   
_He didn’t like it when I wore high heels_   
_But I do_   
_Turn the lock and put my headphones on_   
_He always said he didn’t get this song_   
_But I do, I do_

Stiles stood in front of the full length mirror in the corner of his room, thinking about how badly his last relationship had ended. Even though it was two years ago, it still hurt. He didn’t know it then, but he now understood how unhealthy it was being with Alec. He could still hear some of the things that Alec had said that Stiles never considered it being belittling or manipulative.

_“ **Just out of curiosity, do you wear something besides plaid? I mean, it was adorable in the beginning but now I’m not so sure that I like it anymore. It’s time to stop dressing like a lumberjack babe and start dressing like an adult.”**_

Stiles looked down at the red and black pattern over shirt, running his fingers over it lovingly. He’d never saw anything wrong with how he dressed; it’s never stopped him from having relationships before. Most of the guys and girls that he dated thought it was cute. Maybe that was just their way of silently judging his look. He shook himself from those thoughts as he continued touching his favorite shirt and whispered to himself, “But I do.”

He looked back at himself in the mirror and took a deep breath. He nodded and turned away from it and grabbed his phone and headphones and placed them in his ears as he left his one bedroom apartment, locking the door behind him. He pressed play and smiled as his favorite song began to play. A strange feeling came over him as he remembered when he first introduced Alec to this band. A pang of sadness sat behind his ribs as he recalled the words that Alec said.

**_“Babe, I love you, I really do, but I don’t get this song at all and I never will. Can we please, please just listen to something else already?”_ **

As Stiles walked down the street toward the little café a block away from his apartment building, he listened to the song and a faint smile formed on his face. He ignored that feeling and pushed Alec to the back of his mind. “But I do.”

_Walked in expecting you’d be late_   
_But you got here early and you stand and wave_   
_I walk to you_   
_You pull my chair out and help me in_   
_And you don’t know how nice that is_   
_But I do_

Stiles pulled out his headphones as he opened the door, the bell at the top signaling his arrival, expecting Derek to be a little bit late due to the board meeting he had that morning. He scanned the small lunch crowd anyway, hoping that Derek would be there. A huge smile lit up Stiles’ face as his eyes landed on Derek’s beautiful eyes as the man stood and waved him over. Stiles headed over to the little back corner table, smile softening and a slight blush creeping over his cheeks as Derek pulled out his chair, helping him ease down into the seat.

Stiles’ eyes followed Derek as he took his own seat across from Stiles and he just knew that a goofy grin was plastered on his face, but he didn’t care. Derek was everything Stiles really wasn’t, but he was still learning about Derek. Derek was a successful business owner where Stiles was trying to make ends meet by holding down two jobs on top of going to school to finish his Bachelor’s degree. Stiles stared at Derek, smiling, as he got lost in those gorgeous eyes that captivated him from the day they met.

-*-*-*-*-*-

**_Stiles ran. He overslept and he was running late for work. Stiles was half-dressed, trying to pull on his work shirt for the little coffee shop he worked at close to campus, and tried to tuck it into his pants. He didn’t notice the other guy walking toward him and Stiles slammed right into him, spilling the guy’s coffee all over his white dress shirt._ **

**_“Oh shit! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” he asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet, anxious that his boss was going to rip him a new one when he finally got to work._ **

**_Derek looked down at his ruined shirt, trying to get as much of the coffee out as he could with his tie. He raised his head at the question and his breath caught in his throat. This tall, pale, lanky kid stood before him, chewing on his bottom lip as he waited for an answer._ **

**_Derek shook himself from his stupor and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just, watch where you’re going next time, okay?” It came out gruffer than what Derek wanted, but he was already running late and this morning already sucked._ **

**_When the guy in front of him finally looked at him, Stiles was immediately drawn to those gorgeous green eyes and it took all his self-control to keep in the noise that wanted to escape his throat. And when the guy spoke, holy god, Stiles wanted to throw all caution to the wind and kiss him right then and there in the middle of the sidewalk._ **

**_Derek looked at the kid before him, cocking his head to the side and waving his hand in front of his face. Nothing. He snapped his fingers in front of the guy’s face and that finally did it. A little smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “You alright over there?”_ **

**_Stiles flinched back as the man snapped his fingers and he shook his head. He looked away from the gorgeous man and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck in embarrassment at getting caught staring. “Uh, yeah, sorry about that.” He checked the time on his phone and cursed. “Fuck! I’m so, so late and my boss is going to kill me! Um, again, sorry about the coffee! I gotta run! Bye!”_ **

**_Derek watched as the young man ran past him and down the street before going into the coffee shop that his sister owned. He shook his head, a small smile forming on his face and continued walking toward his office building._ **

**_Later that afternoon, Derek entered his sister’s coffee shop and smiled as he saw the guy from that morning behind the counter. He waved at his sister. “Hey Laura. I’ll have my usual please.”_ **

**_Stiles startled from his place behind the display case, arranging the leftover pastries to make room for the fresh ones, at the sound of that familiar voice. He almost dropped the tray of muffins he’d been holding when he looked up and saw the man with the gorgeous eyes he ran into (literally) on the street, standing at the counter chatting with his boss._ **

**_He placed the tray inside the display case and wiped his hands on his apron. “So, you two know each other?”_ **

**_Laura looked over at Stiles and then at Derek before looking back to Stiles again. She had an evil grin on her face as she turned to give Stiles her full attention and leaned her hip against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “I like to think so. Stiles, this is my baby brother, Derek. He’s co-owner of this here fine establishment. In fact, he owns a few other properties on this block.”_ **

**_Stiles’ eyes went wide. “Oh my god! The Derek Hale? Of Hale Enterprises? That Derek Hale? Holy shit! Fuck. I am so, so sorry for this morning. Let me buy you another coffee or maybe pay for your dry cleaning? Or I could—,”_ **

**_“Stiles! It’s okay, you don’t have to do that. By the way, who names their kid ‘Stiles’?” Derek asked._ **

**_“It’s a nickname. No one, not even myself, can pronounce my actual real first name. It was my mom’s idea to name me after her father.” He said, choking back a sob at the mention of his mother._ **

**_Derek’s eyes softened. He rested his forearms on the counter and leaned closer to Stiles. “Tell you what, how bout you go out with me this weekend to make up for it?”_ **

**_Stiles stood in shock. Was this guy for real? Derek freaking Hale wanted to take him, Stiles ‘loser’ Stilinski, out on a date? Wow, Derek must have some pretty low standards if he wanted to be seen in public with him. “Uh, yeah sure. Okay. That sounds good.”_ **

**_Derek smiled at Stiles before grabbing a napkin and pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and wrote down his number, sliding it across the counter to Stiles. “Call me and we’ll talk details.” He grabbed his coffee from his sister and headed out the door._ **

**_Stiles grabbed the napkin and stared at the numbers, committing them to memory. A small smile formed on his face as he looked up to watch Derek walk out of the shop. He jumped a foot in the air when Laura came and stood next to him. “Gah! Dammit Laura, warn me before you start creeping around or I swear I’m gonna get you a freaking bell for your birthday.”_ **

**_Laura smirked. “You do and I’ll cut you off from the pastries. Oh, and if you so much as hurt my brother, I will murder you and hide your body where no one will be able to find it. Have fun this weekend!” she smiled cheerfully as she headed to the kitchen to make more pastries._ **

**_Stiles gulped and yelled after her. “You’re kidding, right? Laura? Oh god, please tell me that you were kidding?!”_ **

-*-*-*-*-*-

Stiles tuned out most of the conversation as he continued to stare at his boyfriend. He felt like a school girl whenever he thought about it. It made him feel giddy and happy whereas with Alec, he felt suffocated and trapped. Derek wasn’t anything like Alec. No. Derek was kind, sweet, loving and very attentive to Stiles’ needs and wants. Derek was the epitome of the word gentleman and it made Stiles feel like he was something special and treasured and well cared for. As much as Stiles was his own person and could take care of himself, it was still nice to have someone that loved him so much to want to take care of him.

And Alec was your cliché douchebag. He was a lawyer and thought he was better than everyone and that it gave him the right to be above the law. He was always yelling into his phone, even while they were supposed to be on a date. Alec was also rude, crude, selfish and so narcissistic that Stiles was surprised that the man even loved him at all.

_And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid_   
_I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ‘cause he never did_   
_I’ve been spending the last eight months_   
_Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end_   
_But on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again_

Stiles shook himself out of his thoughts and tuned back into what Derek was saying. He said something in response and his entire face lit up in delight as Derek threw his head back, laughing with his whole body like a little kid. Stiles chuckled softly, averting his eyes and playing with his fingers nervously under the table. ‘It wasn’t really that funny.’ He thought apprehensively to himself.

Stiles still found it strange that Derek thought that he was genuinely funny and made it his mission to tell Stiles every chance he got. Alec never thought that Stiles was funny and he would tell him all the time.

**_“Baby, I’m sorry. But I just don’t think you’re all that funny. Leave the comedy to the professionals, okay? Seriously, whoever told you that you were funny must really love you to lie to you like that. Good thing I’m here to set the record straight.”_ **

It’d been eight wonderful months since Stiles and Derek started dating. Stiles found that it was really easy to open himself up to Derek and let him in and love him, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Before he started dating Derek and after the whole Alec thing, Stiles thought that love was stupid and that he’d never have what all his friends had. He thought that love was only meant to break and burn and end. He saw it in his father after his mother died. His dad never showed any kind of interest in dating again after the love of his life died.

And Stiles didn’t want to find any kind of love if it meant he’d end up being alone anyway. But, as Stiles sat at that table, he knew that he was watching the love he thought he’d never find well up inside of him and begin again.

_You said you never met one girl_   
_Who had as many James Taylor records as you_   
_But I do_   
_We tell stories and you don’t know why_   
_I’m coming off a little shy_   
_But I do_

They sat at that table for most of the afternoon, talking about this and that before Derek paid for their meal and led Stiles to the little park around the corner from Stiles’ apartment building. They walked leisurely down one of the many trails, hand in hand, and talked.

“I have never in my life, met someone that has as many James Taylor records as me. How is that even possible?”

Stiles ducked his head. He never really liked talking about his mom, but he felt like Derek wouldn’t make fun of him like Alec used to. “Well, my mom was a big fan. Before she got sick, we used to listen to him a lot. She always said that James was the only person who could keep my hyperactive nature calm for a few hours before I started getting antsy. After she died, it was the only thing that could help stop the panic attacks.”

Stiles felt Derek pull him closer and kiss his temple. That was the first time in two years that he’d told anyone about his mother. Alec never liked talking about family and Stiles always felt shy about sharing those personal stories.

“That’s pretty awesome that you got to share that with your mom. My mom and I work on jigsaw puzzles every weekend. Laura used to help us, but she never had the patience for it.” Derek said amusement in his voice.

Stiles smiled. He loved hearing stories about Derek and Laura when they were younger and about the rest of his family. He chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean. I’m surprised that she hasn’t fired me yet with how much dishes I’ve broken in the last year.”

Stiles felt the older man chuckle and shook his head fondly. “Nah, she likes you too much. Just don’t tell her I told you. She has a certain reputation to uphold.”

Stiles hummed his agreement and laid his head on Derek’s shoulder as they continued their walk in a companionable silence.

After their walk, Stiles had to go to school and then to work for a few hours. It was a miracle that Stiles could focus on any of his classes and the papers that he needed to write. He knew he should’ve taken an extra dose of Adderall before he headed to class. All he could think about was Derek and how much he loved him.

Yes, they’ve only been dating for eight months, but Stiles felt like Derek could be the one for him. Okay, yeah, he thought that about Alec as well and look at where that got him. After Alec broke up with him, those two years were a very dark time for him.

He barely ate, slept and refused to talk to anyone. He knew what they were going to say so why waste their breath on what he already knew? He threw himself into school and work. At that time, he’d been working at Laura’s coffee shop for about a month when she basically pulled him out of his funk and made sure that he took care of himself.

And bumping into Derek that day eight months ago, helped even more. Classes flew by and the next thing he knew he was at the coffee shop. He’d been distracted all night and Laura had an amused smile on her face.

“Thinking about a certain tall, dark and handsome brother of mine?” she asked, laughing manically.

Stiles jumped, grabbing his chest and slamming his fist down on the table he’d been cleaning. “Jesus Christ! Would you stop that?! One of these days you are going to give me a heart attack.”

Laura cackled. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Stiles shrugged. “So what if I was? I am allowed to think about my boyfriend.”

“Aw…you are so adorable!” she cooed as Stiles’ face went completely red. “Anyway, you can go on ahead and leave. I’ll close up and besides, you’ve been cleaning the same table for twenty minutes.”

Stiles blushed again as he left the rag on the table and went to the back to clock out and left his apron on the counter. He stepped back out to the front and smiled brightly at Derek.

He ran toward the man and jumped into his arms, giving him a quick kiss. “Hey you.”

“Hey yourself. I see my slave driver of a sister is letting you go early?” Derek asked.

“Hey!” Laura exclaimed.

Stiles only nodded, smiling softly and chuckled. He didn’t care at all that he was still clinging to Derek like a monkey in the middle of his work place. He laid his head down on Derek’s shoulder, sighing in contentment.

Alec never let Stiles do this. He wasn’t one for cuddling or PDA and Stiles was a very tactile guy. So when he met Derek, he was very much touch starved and he made sure to touch and kiss Derek at all times. And Stiles was happy that Derek didn’t mind it and seemed to encourage it.

“You up for some dinner?” Derek asked him quietly.

Right on cue, Stiles’ stomach growled and his face heated up in embarrassment. He hid his face in Derek’s neck. “Yeah, dinner sounds wonderful.”

“You gonna let me go?” Derek asked.

Stiles clung to Derek tighter and shook his head, making the older man laugh and Laura made gagging noises at them. Stiles turned his head and smirked at her. “Love you Laura!” he said, blowing her a huge kiss.

Laura rolled her eyes at them and shooed them. “Yeah, yeah. Now get out of here. You two are going to give me diabetes with how sweet you both are.”

That made both Stiles and Derek laugh as Derek carried Stiles outside to his car. Stiles reluctantly let Derek go so he could climb into the passenger side. He immediately grabbed the older man’s hand when Derek got into the car.

“So, where are we going? I hope nowhere fancy because I am so not dressed for that. Or showered for that.” His nose wrinkled in disgust as he got a whiff of himself.

Derek chuckled and squeezed Stiles’ hand. “I figured as much. That is why we’re stopping by your place so you can freshen up.”

Stiles smiled and settled down into his seat. When Derek pulled up in front of Stiles’ building, Stiles got out and led Derek up to his tiny apartment. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. He’d been to Derek’s huge, lavishly furnished loft apartment and yeah, it made him feel a little inadequate, but he tried not to let it get to him as much. He didn’t want to define their relationship by how loaded Derek was. That was just stupid. And he hadn’t had a chance to clean his apartment. “So, uh, I’d give you the grand tour but, uh, this is it. You can hang out here and I’ll be right back.”

Once Stiles was clean and dressed, they headed out. “You never did answer my question.”

Derek shrugged. “I figured that you could choose this time.”

Stiles smiled and grabbed the keys to his jeep and smirked at Derek. “Then we’re taking my car.”

_And we walked down the block to my car and I almost brought him up_   
_But you start to talk about the movies that your family_   
_Watches_   
_Every single Christmas and I want to talk about that_   
_And for the first time what’s past is past_

After dinner, Stiles was pressed up against Derek’s side, the other man’s warmth seeping in through his coat in the chilly November air, as Derek led him down the block where he’d parked the jeep. He opened and closed his mouth many times, trying to come up with the words to tell Derek about Alec. He sighed with relief when Derek began to talk.

“This may sound really random but my family has the weirdest Christmas traditions. We all gather at my parents’ house Christmas Eve and watch every single Christmas movie known to man.”

As Derek continued talking, Stiles couldn’t help but laugh and smile. For the first time in a long time, what happened in the past was the past and it was time that Stiles finally let go of Alec and stop letting it get in the way of his happiness. He needed to stop weighing the pros and cons of his previous relationship with Derek. Derek was the best decision that he had ever made and Derek deserved his full, undivided attention.

He stepped in front of Derek and pulled him into a deep kiss, relishing in the feeling of Derek’s big hands wrapping around his hips and giving a light squeeze. Stiles smiled as he pulled away, panting with the intensity of that one kiss. He brought his hands up and placed them on either side of Derek’s neck, stroking his thumbs along that stubbled jaw. “I love you, so fucking much.”

And the weird part was that it wasn’t weird at all. There was no deer caught in the headlights look, no fear for saying it too early or being the first to say it. Stiles felt completely at ease and peaceful and not at all scared or anxious that Derek would reject him.

Stiles felt Derek smile against his thumbs and another squeeze to his hips. “That’s good because I love you too. I have for a while. I probably have ever since that day eight months ago, when you spilled coffee all over my shirt.”

Stiles smiled again and leaned in to capture Derek’s mouth in another kiss. Yeah, Stiles was so glad that he agreed to go out with Derek. Best decision he ever made.

 

 


End file.
